Nixifying https://github.com/haskell/cabal using haskell-flake

[ParetoOptimalDev]

Split off from #76 as not to go off topic.

I tried this and it doesn't work yet, but I'd like for it to work eventually. As a stopgap though I did submit a PR with just a haskell-parts flake at haskell/cabal#8753 (comment) so that contributing from nix can at least be done with a simple cabal build cabal in haskell/cabal#8753.

However even that might not be merged given there are concerns about maintaing that simple of a flake... so I guess this is a thread to record my intent, foster discussion, and provide guideposts for anyone in the future who may want this.

[srid]

there are concerns about maintaing that simple of a flake.

I've always found a large portion of open source community (I'm mainly familiar with Haskell projects, fwiw) to be at best indifferent to Nix if not somehow ill-disposed. That's something to keep in mind as you spend time & effort contributing Nix support in those projects.

To be fair, Nix is still a bit of a niche, and it doesn't yet have great documentation for newcomers - so right now, IMO, it tends to attract geeks more than anyone else. Identifying the subset of project maintainers that are open to adding (and learning from) Nix support could be an interesting exercise.

[srid]

Identifying the subset of project maintainers that are open to adding (and learning from) Nix support could be an interesting exercise.

Example: pimalaya/himalaya#76

[ParetoOptimalDev]

Identifying the subset of project maintainers that are open to adding (and learning from) Nix support could be an interesting exercise.

That sounds like a very fruitful endeavor that makes both sides happy!